Breaking Gender Barriers in Tech: Alina Vandenberghe's Inspiring Story

Mark MacLeod's Startup CEO Show brings us an enlightening conversation with Alina Vandenberghe, the dynamic co-founder and co-CEO of Chili Piper. This episode offers a deep dive into the unique challenges and opportunities of co-leading a company with your spouse, as Alina candidly discusses her partnership with her husband and co-CEO. The discussion sheds light on their fluid approach to dividing responsibilities and how they've managed to create a flat organizational structure despite having 150 employees across 38 countries.

Alina shares invaluable insights on hiring for values, detailing how they assess candidates not just for skills but for alignment with company culture. The conversation takes an interesting turn as Alina reflects on her background growing up in communist Romania and how it shaped her entrepreneurial journey, instilling in her a unique perspective on resource management and customer motivations. This episode is packed with practical advice on building a strong company culture, leveraging personal branding for business growth, and adapting to the rapidly changing tech landscape.

Don't miss this opportunity to learn from one of tech's most innovative and authentic leaders.

Timestamps:

01:06 Meet Alina: Chili Piper's Spicy CEO

03:26 Chili Piper: Spicing Up Sales Software

06:11 Raw and Real: Alina's Authentic Approach

10:16 Social Media: The Pipeline Powerhouse

12:20 Speaking Up: Time Well Invested

16:42 Dividing and Conquering CEO Duties

19:42 Remote Work: Born from Wanderlust

29:48 Bootstrapping to Millions: Chili Piper's Journey

35:48 AI: Blessing or Terminator Scenario?

43:00 Corporate Wisdom in Startup Land

48:07 Inspiring Women: Alina's Ripple Effect

Since 1999, I have sat at the right-hand side of the leaders of high growth technology companies as either a CFO, VC or deal maker. I served as CFO for software companies including Shopify (NYSE: SHOP) and Freshbooks. As a CFO I experienced outright failures, wildly profitable exits, and everything in between.

I was a General Partner in Real Ventures, Canada's largest and most active seed stage fund. My investments there include the fund's largest cash on cash and highest IRR returns to date. Most recently, I founded SurePath Capital Partners the leading investment bank for SMB SaaS companies where we did hundreds of millions in financing and exit transactions.

Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/themarkmacleod/

Contact Mark: https://markmacleod.me/